Man sentenced to 5 years in prison for torching Cybertruck, Tesla dealership in East Valley

PHOENIX — A man who admitted to setting a fire that damaged an East Valley Tesla dealership and destroyed a Cybertruck in April 2025 has been sentenced, prosecutors announced.

Ian William Moses, 35, was given five years in prison, the mandatory minimum, by U.S. District Judge Diane Humetewa on Tuesday. His sentence will be followed by 36 months of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

He will also have to pay restitution. The full amount will be determined at a hearing on April 13.

“Arson can never be an acceptable part of American politics. Mr. Moses’ actions endangered the public and first responders and could have easily turned deadly,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona Timothy Courchaine said in a press release. “This five-year sentence reflects the gravity of these crimes and makes clear that politically fueled attacks on Arizona’s communities and businesses will be met with full accountability.”

Moses was arrested on April 28, 2025, less than two hours after the fire was set. He was indicted on five counts of malicious damage to property just two days later. Moses pleaded guilty to all of the charges in October, prosecutors said.

Details of arson at Mesa Tesla dealership

On the day of the crime, just before 1:40 a.m., surveillance footage showed Moses at the Tesla dealership at 7444 E. Hampton Avenue, near Southern Avenue and Sossaman Road. He was wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, tan ballcap, gray pants, black boots and a black mask and was carrying a red plastic gas can and a black backpack, according to prosecutors.

The footage showed him placing fire starter logs next to the dealership and then pouring gasoline on the logs, the building and three nearby Cybertrucks before setting the fire, which destroyed one of the trucks, prosecutors added.

Additionally, the word “THEIF” (sic) was painted on the dealership’s wall, according to ABC15.

Moses left the dealership on a bicycle shortly after setting the blaze, but he was found about a quarter of a mile away around 3 a.m. and taken into custody.

Prosecutors added that Moses was found with a hand-drawn map of the area that included a box labeled “T” marking the dealership’s location.

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